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Working group to explore ways to coordinate nature restoration and national defence

Finnish Government

Ministry of Defence
Ministry of the Environment
Publication date 30.10.2025
Type:Press release

A working group of the Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Defence has been appointed to explore how nature restoration and other ways to make use of natural barriers can support national defence and border security especially in eastern Finland.

The leading idea for the working group is that by improving the state of nature we can also create solutions that contribute to national defence in eastern Finland. By restoring mires or former peat production areas or leaving fallen trees in storm-damaged areas we can create natural barriers to movement in the terrain. At the same time, this will contribute to the efforts to halt biodiversity loss and the recovery of the natural environment.

The appointment of the working group supports the implementation of the EU's Nature Restoration Regulation. Finland is currently preparing the nature restoration plan under the Nature Restoration Regulation that will set out the national means to halt biodiversity loss. In this demanding societal situation in terms of both economic and security challenges, a key focus in the preparation of the plan is on finding cost-effective measures that will serve multiple targets.

"The natural environment offers solutions that promote security and strengthen the resilience of the whole society. We should try to find effective measures that will bring the broadest benefits. Work for the natural environment supports the sustainability of our economy and the security of supply in many ways. Needs related to our security should also be coordinated with the work for nature," Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala says.

Improving the state of nature promotes the recreational use of nature and opportunities for hunting, fishing and berry picking, which is important for the vitality of regions and employment. Restoration also improves our resilience in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events.

Finland has solid expertise in mire restoration

Besides the identification of common goals for nature restoration and national defence, the task of the working group is to specify the necessary measures, responsibilities and financial needs.

"Finland has always been capable of taking advantage of mires, water bodies and other features in the terrain to organise our defence. Through this project we will take concrete steps to combine security with environmental targets. The restoration of features in the terrain in the eastern border regions will in certain respects benefit both biodiversity and defence," Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen says.

The working group will launch a pilot project in the border zone and assess the opportunities related to restoration in areas that are in constant use for military purposes. The work will start on state-owned lands.

Tarja Haaranen, Director General at the Ministry of the Environment and chair of the working group, points out that Finland has solid expertise in mire restoration. This has been done for decades, including the recent work under the Helmi Habitats Programme, where more than 20,000 hectares of mires have been restored and almost 30,000 hectares have been protected through voluntary means.

"Finland has solid expertise in restoration, and we are among the leaders in promoting voluntary protection measures. Restoration of mires in catchment areas also improves the state of downstream waters," Haaranen says.

Eastern Finland is rich in mires. Many of them have been drained, which has weakened the state of nature. There is a lot of potential for restoration in eastern Finland, which is why the conditions for starting the work in this region are particularly favourable.

"Natural conditions have been taken into account and utilised in defence planning. It is most useful to also explore the possibilities related to restoration from the perspective of national defence," says Sami Heikkilä, Senior Specialist at the Ministry of Defence and vice-chair of the working group.

The term of the working group is 30 October 2025-31 May 2026.